Christmas tree ornament



1957 J. P. GARVER 2,803,905

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Filed Nov. 21, 1955 i INVENTOR. I JOHN P. CARI/ER CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT John P. Garver, Poland, Ohio Application November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,105

3 Claims. (Cl. 41- -10) This invention relates to a Christmas tree ornament and more particularly to a Christmas tree ornament incorporating alight reflecting element movable by a thermal air current.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of an ornament that may be suspended on a Christmas tree above a light thereon so that a movable portion of the ornament may be actuated by a thermal air current from said light. 7

The ornament disclosed herein comprises a continuation-in-part of my copending patent application Serial No. 478,262, filed December 29, 1954, now U. S. Patent No. 276,232, in which a similar Christmas tree ornament is disclosed and in which the means for maintaining the movable portion of the ornament comprises a central post and guard arranged to hold the movable portion of the ornament on its pivot at all times.

The present disclosure relates to alternate means for retaining the movable element of the Christmas tree ornament on its pivot.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, the provision of a Christmas tree ornament incorporating a light reflecting element rotatable by a thermal air current wherein means is provided for maintaining the movable element in operative relation to the remainder of the ornament.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a transparent cylindrical member positioned around and about and extending above and below a light reflecting movable element disposed on a pivot therein, the cylindrical member forming means insuring the direction of thermal air currents against the movable light reflecting member and at the same time excluding all other air currents.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree ornament incorporating a transparent cylindrical housing open at its upper and lower ends and having means therein mounting a light reflecting member arranged to be revolved by air currents passing vertically through said cylindrical member and means for retaining the rotatable light reflecting member in rotating position at all times.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the function and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a bottom elevation thereof.

Figure 4 is a detail taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail with parts in cross section and parts atent broken away and parts in dotted line illustrating the means for mounting the rotatable element in the device of Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1 through 5 in particular. it will be seen that a Christmas tree ornament has been disclosed which comprises a transparent cylindrical body member 10 which has an outwardly flaring annular skirt 11 about its lower end and a similar outwardly flaring annular skirt 12 about its uppermost end. The annular skirt 11 is preferably formed integrally with a plurality of arms 13 which have a common central section 14, as best shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, which in turn carry a vertically positioned post 15.

The upper end of the post 15 has an annular flange 16 thereabout and a centrally disposed vertically standing pointed pivot pin 17 extending above the flange 16. A rotatable element 18, comprising a plurality of alternately disposed upwardly and downwardly sloping surfaces 19 and 20, has a centrally positioned aperture 21 in which a smooth surfaced elongated socket 22 is positioned so that the rotatable element 18 is supported thereby and rotatable therewith with respect to the uppermost pointed end of the pivot pin 17 on which the socket 22 is engaged, as best seen in Figure 5 of the drawings.

The uppermost annular skirt 12 is preferably integrally formed with a plurality of upwardly and inwardly positioned secondary arms 2323 which terminate at a common apex 24 which in turn has a vertically positioned extension 25 which is apertured as at 26 so that a book '27 may be attached thereto and the ornament suspended thereby.

It will be observed that the circumferentially spaced secondary arms 23 define a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings which communicate with the interior of the transparent cylindrical body member It so that thermal air currents, for example, may flow vertically through the device by entering the lower end through the areas between the arms 13, passing upwardly through the cylindrical body member 10 and causing the rotatable element 18 to revolve and flow outwardly of the ornament in a relatively unobstructed manner through the opening between the secondary arms 2323.

It will be seen that the conical formation of the plurality of secondary arms 23-43 results in increasing the effective area of the passageway defined vertically through the ornament and the outwardly flaring skirt 11 acts to direct thermal air currents and concentrate the same in the area of the ornament.

In order that the rotatable element 18 may be retained in rotating position with the socket 22 thereof engaged on the upper pointed end of the pivot pin 17 at all times, the rotatable element 18 incorporates a plurality of downwardly extending guide arms 28-28, the lowermost ends of which are inturned as at 2929, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, the inturned ends 29 of the guide arms 28 underlying the annular flange 16 on the post 15 and spaced slightly in relation thereto so that when the ornament is in vertical position, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 5 of the drawings, the guide arms 28 and their inturned lower ends 29 are spaced slightly with respect to the post 15 and the annular flange 16 thereon.

At such time as the ornament is turned. on its side, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, or turned upside down, etc., the guide arms 28 with their inturned ends 29 will engage the post 15 and/ or the annular flange 16 thereon and'retain the rotatable element 18 in proper position on the pivot pin 17 so that it will be freely rotatable thereon when the ornament is again turned to vertical position.

The guide arms 28 are preferably formed of the same material as the rotatable element 18, which is preferably a light reflecting metallic foil, but they may alternately Patented Aug. 27, 1957 be formed as depending extensions of the socket 22 which is press-"fit in the opening '21 in the rotatable element 18 and ispr'e'fera'bly formed of smooth surfaced metal.

.It will thus be seen that a preferred and a modified embodiment of the invention have been'disclosed hereinand that the disclosures meet the several objects of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An ornament comprising a transparent housing open at its upper and lower ends and having a pinwheel therein movable by thermal air currents, said pinwheel comprising a plurality of interconnected, radially arranged, inclined, light reflecting planes having a conical bearing centrally thereof, said transparent housing having upper and lower apertured end portions "secured thereto, a post on said lower end portion extendingupwa'rdly into the central area of said housing axially thereof, said conical bearing of said pinwheel mounted on said post for rotation thereon, an annular flange on said post 1 and means on said pinwheel extending downwardly and in under said annular flange of said post and acting to restrict upward movement of said pinwheel so as to confine the same within said transparent housing.

2. An ornament comprising a transparent body member having upper and lower end portions thereon, the majority of which are cutaway to provide vertical air passageways through said ornament, a vertical shaft positioned on said lower end portion centrally thereof and extending upwardly therefrom, a pin projecting from the top of said vertical shaft, an annular flange on said post, a pinwheel comprising a plurality of interconnected, radially arranged, light reflecting, angularly disposed vanes having a centrally positioned bearing portion di'sposed on said pin, depending arms having inturned ends on said pinwheel, said inturned ends of said depending arms positioned in closely spaced relation to and below said annular flange on said post so that the pinwheel is retained in the ornament on said pin thereby.

3. An ornament comprising an upright section of transparent tubular material open at its upper and lower ends and having flanged annular members secured to said upper and lower ends, the lower one of said flanged annular members having arms extending to a centrally disposed post positioned axially of said transparent tubular section, said post extending above said lower end of said tubular section and incorporating an annular flange on its upper end and an axially extending, thin metal shaft positioned on the axis of said tubular section and extending above said annular flange, the upper end of said thin metal shaft being pointed, a pinwheel comprising a circular section of light reflecting material having circumferentially spaced, radially extending cuts therein terminating short of the central area thereof, the adjacent radially extending portions of said pinwheel being alternately bent upwardly and downwardly to form inclined, light reflecting planes and depending arms having inturned ends thereon, said inturned ends normally disposed beneath said annular flange on said post, the central area of said pinwheel having an opening therethrough, an inverted conical bearing disposed in said opening and positioned over said thin metal shaft and thereby mounting said pinwheel within said transparent tubular member in movable captive relation with respect thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

